Before Anno Hideaki and the team at Studio Gainax changed the course of anime history with Neon Genesis Evangelion, they produced Gunbuster, aka Aim for the Top!, a 6-episode OVA with some of the era’s most spectacular animation, and an overwhelming amount of personality. A mash-up of sports shows, mecha anime, high-concept sci-fi, and American 80s movies like Top Gun, there’s nothing else quite like Gunbuster, and across its 6 episodes, the series showcases a huge range of ideas, themes, tones, and even styles, with the finale shifting to a truly astounding use of widescreen, black-and-white imagery. Join us as we dive into not only this great series, but the fascinating history of Anno and Gainax up to this point.

Enjoy, and come back next week as we begin a two-week journey through the wild and wacky world of the 80s classic DIRTY PAIR!

Time Chart:

Theme Song: 0:00:00 – 0:01:15

Intro and History: 0:01:15 – 1:06:22

Eyecatch Break: 1:06:22 – 1:07:07

Gunbuster Review: 1:07:07 – 2:14:18

End Theme: 2:14:18 – 2:15:49

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